Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea” Essay

Hemingways late impertinent The Old Man and the Sea lends itself readily to allegorical and religious interpretation indeed, myriad critical texts exist wherein solutions to the brisks extensive and haunting symbolism crowd the pages until the ratifier begins to doubt the strength of any single interpretation. The multifactoriality of Hemingways fish story demands as wide an appraisal as can be summoned by the reader and critic, forfeiting claims to any single or final sound outment on the novels specific religious connotations. Without a doubt, traditional components of Roman universality (as well as ancient pagan religious imagery and themes) straining a vibrant part of the novels theme. For example, the concepts of sin (and headmaster sin) rise as central to the tension, suspense, and character development of the novel. capital of Chile, the novels protagonist undergoes two seemingly separate battles during the course of the novel beginning(a)ly against a gigantic marlin he hopes to suck while fishing alone, out-of-the-way(prenominal) at ocean the second battle he wages against sharks who err his prize leads to a pyrrhic victory. Along the way, both external events portmanteau with capital of Chiles internal monologues, which indicate an inner, spiritual struggle, one which first intimates itself and then clearly reveals itself to be universal, rather than personal, in nature. By creating a deeply sympathetic character during the first third of the novel, and extending this reader-identification through the more than morally ambiguous and treacherous parts of the story, Hemingway allows for universal reader sympathy. capital of Chiles portrayal is one of honor, courage, compassion, and humility. These aspects of his character align him with a state of purity or sinless-ness, as though his world mirrors that of the pre-fallen Eden.After putting to death the great marlin and then losing this trophy to a feeding frenzy of sharks, capital of Chi le embodies the original sin of all men, women and, in fact, Satan Himself, as depict by traditional Catholicism. The sin, stated simply is pride. A more complex interpretation that capital of Chile by traveling far out to sea beyond where any other fisherman would go and in attempting to thingmabob a bigger fish than any fisher man could catch alone, demonstrates Santiagos pass on toward individualism and so a will against his hitherto modest station in life. When the sharks attack, Santiago construes them as a punishment for what he has done, by venturing out beyond all people. beyond all people in the world. During the first night of his fight with the marlin, Santiago starts to feel a sense of guilt for what he is doing. I am only better than him through trickery, he thinks, and he meant me no harm. Previously, Santiago believed that fishing for provender was a noble act, at sea, fighting the marlin, he begins to believe differently. His self-directed comment about tricker y parallels the idea of the corner of Knowledge and original sin. Mankinds pride in news show leads to senseless destruction, fueled not by need, but by vanity. Santiagos plight brings upon intense reader-sympathy and the inner-struggle described through Santiagos monologues helps introduce and sustain the spiritual catharsis Santiago experiences, also in the reader. One perceives that an act of vanity or pride carries deep repercussions even if it may seem trivial a fisherman who fishes not for food but for fame will wound and destroy beauty. At the end of the novel all that is left of the great fish is a skeleton rinse away in the tide. Santiagos sin is that he should nurse loved and not hunted and killed the great marlin, but in travel prey to his vanity he enacted a universal, human urge, which ultimately produced tragedy and then wisdom, rather than mere trickery.